Solace in Scandal (18 page)

So it was true. Alex had been locked in tiny rooms before. Her stomach squeezed threateningly. She remembered his desperation and agitation when he’d been trapped inside the gym bathroom. His claustrophobia went way back before his time in prison.

No wonder it was so bad.

Her eyes started to well. ‘Why?’ she simply asked.

‘Master Bartholomew was a difficult man.’ Leonard let go of her arms and clasped his fingers together. They turned so white, it was obvious he didn’t want to talk about the matter. ‘He didn’t have much patience for children.’

The lake house. It hadn’t been a place for hide-and-seek. Alex had hidden there to get away.

‘Tell me you stopped it.’

‘I did – when I caught it. There were times I’d take the boy to my own home.’

But he obviously hadn’t caught it all the time.

Elena’s stomach curdled. It had happened more than once. She dashed back the tears that threatened to fall.

‘Master Alex stopped it himself,’ Leonard admitted. ‘When he got big enough.’

‘Why did his parents keep sending him?’

‘They didn’t know. He wouldn’t tell them.’

That damn stoic mask he put on.

For protection. She got that now.

Leonard glanced worriedly at the open doorway. ‘You really mustn’t be in here, Elena.’

No, she mustn’t. Suddenly, she couldn’t bear to be in the room one second longer. She pushed the closet door back to the way she found it, but couldn’t bring herself to make it finally click shut. Leaving Leonard there, she ran into the hallway.

She was standing statue-still when he firmly closed the room behind them. She looked at her old caretaker. He’d left her as a toddler to go care for another, older child. A child who’d needed him much more than she had.

Their gazes locked and the butler let out a very undistinguished sound. It had come from the pit of his throat.

Impulsively, Elena clutched him in a hug.

‘He’s a good man, Miss Elena. It’s a good match, the two of you. You can get past the barriers he puts up. I’ve seen it.’ Again, Leonard let out the anguished sound. ‘When I think of what he did … what he sacrificed …’

She clutched him tighter, but he shivered and pulled back. Shaking his head, he blinked fast and straightened his tie. His chin wobbled as he tugged the sleeves of his jacket. She touched his arm. ‘Leonard?’

Sniffing, he straightened his shoulders and wiped the remaining emotion from his face. ‘I need to get back downstairs. The gardeners have just arrived. If you need assistance, could you please find Marta?’

That was all she was going to learn from him.

It was already too much.

Without another word, she and the butler parted ways. She watched him walk stiffly to the elevator. Wrapping her arms around her waist, Elena turned. She knew they’d never have this discussion again.

She wondered if Alex would ever tell her himself.

Then again, why should he? She’d given him little reason to trust her.

She wandered down the hallway with her chin tucked into her chest. He hadn’t been in cahoots with his grandfather. There was no way. She’d felt the hatred he had for that man, and now she understood why.

But money was a powerful incentive.

Could he have partnered with his grandfather and her father solely for the payoff?

She didn’t want to think so.

Although all indicators pointed to yes.

She turned into the room they’d shared last night. Like a robot she walked to the closet. She was afraid to open it. When she did, her shoulders sagged in relief.

Not here. Not in this room.

Without really knowing what she was doing, she turned on her heel. Her footsteps gathered speed as she went back the direction she’d come. Halfway along the passage, she turned and headed up the staircase. She was practically jogging by the time she made it to the tech room. As always, the door stood wide open.

Breathless, she stared across the room at Alex.

He was bent over a raised workbench, looking at the shiny computer he’d shown her last night. At the sound of her panting, he raised his head. Their gazes locked for a long moment.

He frowned. ‘What’s wrong?’

The ache in her throat turned into a knot. She couldn’t tell him what she’d done. ‘My computer,’ she finally managed to squeak.

His eyes narrowed, but she braved the examination to cross the room. That intense grey gaze swept over her, and her body grew warm. She stopped next to him. Close. She laid her hand on his bare forearm and heat passed between them. Her fingers tightened. ‘Was it …’ She struggled for a moment to get her head on straight. ‘Was it salvageable?’

‘I think I saved your data, but you’re going to have to check.’

At the moment, she couldn’t have cared less.

Still, she took the wireless mouse from him and began looking through the file manager. Distracted as she was, it was hard to tell if anything was missing, but most of it seemed to be there. She opened a few files. Nothing looked corrupted.

She looked at him and their noses nearly brushed. She stared into his handsome face with his spiky hair and rough stubble. A complicated man with a prickly exterior.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

‘You’re welcome.’ That icy gaze slid to her mouth and then back up to her eyes. He was bracing himself against the table, and the position left him leaning over her. ‘It meant a lot to me that you trusted me with that. I know what that computer means to you.’ Unable to hold back any longer, Elena leaned into him. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his middle and kissed him. Slow and deep. Everything she was feeling came out in the kiss, and she felt him rock back in surprise.

It didn’t take long before his arms wrapped around her. His hands fisted in her hair and their mouths locked. The heat turned into a slow smoulder. Her fingers dug into his back and he pressed closer. Her head dropped back and she clung to him.

When he finally pulled away, he was breathing hard. His eyes narrowed. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’

She wasn’t sure of anything, other than the fact that she was going to stop fighting what was between them. Stop ignoring the need. ‘I’m just tired and stressed,’ she said honestly. ‘It’s all starting to get to me.’

He drew his thumb over her cheek. ‘Well, it’s a good thing I made plans for today,’ he replied softly.

‘Plans?’

‘To pamper you.’

She smiled softly. She’d already had the good food and the fine wine. All she wanted right now was to hold him. ‘There’s no need. The new laptop is more than enough.’

His face turned cloudy and his jaw hardened. It was the same expression he’d taken with him to bed. ‘That’s where you’re wrong. There is a need, pretty siren. There’s going to be no more settling for you.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘You’ve done without for too long, and it stops now.’ He punctuated the hard sentence with a kiss that seared her down to her toes. ‘I’ve invited some people over to change that.’

Elena didn’t understand. He sounded truly angry.

They’d been hiding out, trying to avoid people. They’d gone to great lengths not to be caught together. Tabitha hadn’t betrayed their trust, but they couldn’t keep taking chances like that. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, Alex. I appreciate the gesture, but the press will find out I’m here. Someone is bound to talk.’

‘Not at the rate I’m paying them. If they want to continue getting my business, they’ll keep their mouths shut. So get ready. You’re about to be pampered from the top of your shiny head to the tips of your pink toes.’

‘Alex.’

‘Deal with it.’ He looked at the Rolex on his wrist. ‘Now. They should be here.’

They?

He caught her hand and pulled her from the room.

‘But Alex,’ she protested as they rode the elevator down to the first floor. She tugged nervously at her T-shirt. When she’d called him down to the lake house yesterday, she’d been working. She wasn’t dressed for company – especially his type of company.

‘But nothing. You look fantastic.’ He lowered his head closer to hers. ‘Relax. You’re going to enjoy this.’

Feeling nervous, Elena straightened her spine. This seemed important to him. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but she’d thought they’d been on the same page about shutting out the real world. Why had he done this?

They turned into a first-floor room she’d walked by many times. The first thing she noticed was that it was different. The furniture had been removed. All that remained was a tufted armchair with a small table at its side. Across the room was a Japanese-style folding partition, screen-printed with cherry blossoms. Between the two was a free-standing cheval glass, something she’d always wanted.

‘I don’t understand,’ she said.

He waved to the racks of clothing that stood at the back of the room, the ones she’d walked right by without seeing. ‘You’re going on a shopping spree.’

Elena looked from one rack to the next, her eyes rounding. They took up the entire back half of the room. She walked to the nearest rack of dresses and looked at the labels. ‘These are designer.’

He signalled at someone in the hallway. ‘Jorge?’

A thin man in an exquisite grey suit came into the room. His dark hair was sleeked back and a pencil-thin moustache rode on his upper lip. Those lips were curled upwards in a smile as he extended his hand. ‘Hello.’

‘Hello,’ Elena said, returning the handshake. She rubbed her ankles together. She felt like such a bag lady in front of these two men who were dressed like power brokers.

‘Jorge, this is Elena. Elena, this is Jorge Cruz. He’s here to show you a few of his creations. It’s up to you to decide what you like.’

‘Oh, I –’

Alex’s gaze narrowed and he shook his head in warning. They were going to do this.

She rubbed her toe against the calf of her other leg as the designer’s gaze swept up and down her body.

‘You are gorgeous, my dear. Petite, but sleek and well proportioned.’ His eye didn’t linger on her curves with sexual interest. ‘Alex, you didn’t do her justice.’

‘How could I?’ he asked, going to take his seat. He opened the laptop that was on the table and started browsing business sites.

‘I have many pretty things that should suit you perfectly,’ the designer said. There were party dresses, gowns and suits. Jorge kept pulling her along, though, until she was staring at a flat table with an assortment of smaller pieces.

Much smaller pieces.

Lingerie. A hot blush settled into her cheeks. She looked over her shoulder. ‘Alex,’ she hissed.

‘It’s something I know you like,’ he replied, his gaze steady.

‘There are more designers waiting to show you their work.’ Jorge gestured to the table. ‘Lingerie is my specialty.’

Elena tucked her fingers into her pockets, but eyed all the gorgeous pieces in silks, satins, Spandex and every fabric in between. She felt like a kid in a candy store, wanting to touch but knowing she shouldn’t. ‘They’re beautiful.’

‘Which do you like?’ Jorge asked.

She pointed at a baby-pink set in front of her.

‘Ah, soft and sweet. A good choice.’ The designer picked up a bra and matching bikini-style panties. ‘Why don’t you try it on?’

She stared at him.

He gestured at the partition. ‘You can have your privacy over there.’

Was he serious?

‘Elena,’ Alex warned.

It was two against one, but the only one she cared about was sitting across the room. For some reason, Alex wanted to do this for her. After what she’d just learned, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

He’d been hurt too much already.

Her chest started to tighten, and the anguish built up in her throat. The vision of those claw marks on the door appeared again in her head.

She pushed the vision away, clearing her throat hard. Would it really be so bad to play dress-up? There were clothes here that she’d never be able to afford, much less try on. She wouldn’t accept them.

She hesitantly walked over to the corner of the room.

‘Let me know if you need a different size,’ Jorge called.

‘She won’t,’ Alex murmured.

Her eyes narrowed. He sounded so sure of himself. She stepped behind the partition.

She could say no and stop the whole thing. He wouldn’t force her, but he’d gone to such measures. The designer had obviously gone to even greater lengths to bring everything here.

She fingered the pretty bra. She was already in love with it.

She gave up fighting. Setting the lingerie on the table, she peeled off her jeans. The rest of her clothes were next. They might be her comfy favourites, but with all the expensive material in the room she felt like a frump. She put her bra down and picked up the pink one. The difference was there under her fingertips. The quality was better, from the fabric to the stitching. Feeling her pulse begin to pound, she put her arms through the straps and aligned the cups over her breasts. She clipped the tab against her breastbone and felt the change the moment the bra settled over her curves, cupping and supporting them.

There was also a difference in the fit.

Almost naturally, her shoulders pulled back and her chest lifted. There was no comparison to the cheap discount-store brands she was used to wearing.

This felt sublime.

Hurrying, she tried on the panties. They fit her just as well, hugging her curves but not cutting into them.

‘Well?’ Jorge asked.

‘They’re perfect,’ she sighed.

Alex cleared his throat.

She peeked around the corner of the partition. ‘What?’

His gaze was that steady spark of grey ice, the one she’d run into in the forest on more than one occasion. ‘Let me see,’ he said, making it crystal clear.

Elena looked down at herself. She wasn’t naked, but he couldn’t possibly be asking her to –

‘Come out here.’

She wasn’t indecent and he’d seen her in less. Still …

She stepped out into the middle of the room and clasped her hands together in front of her. Alex leaned forward in his chair, the computer forgotten. Jorge nodded, his eye critical. Walking over to her, he examined the fit from front to back. Elena felt like she was under a microscope with both men staring at her so unabashedly.